This blog first appeared in the Huffington Post Canada . By Heather Johnston and James Orbinski, Dignitas International On December 1 st , we marked another World AIDS Day in the global fight against the epidemic. As a result of key investments over the past two decades, primarily through the leadership of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), millions of deaths and new infections have been averted . According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, of the 120 billion USD invested globally for HIV programs to date, more than 72 billion USD came through PEPFAR . Last year alone, with a PEPFAR investment of 6.8 … Read more
2017 World AIDS Day Blog Series – The Right to Health
Path To An AIDS-Free Generation Is Clear, But Not Certain
We Need To Stand On The Shoulders Of The HIV/AIDS CommunityDecember 28, 2017
This blog first appeared on the Huffington Post Canada. By Shelley Garnham, RESULTS Canada I have a particular affinity for Isaac Newton’s famous quote, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” I’ve always been short — except for a brief time in grade four when I hit average height, and then apparently stopped growing altogether. So I’ve spent most of my life getting quite good at strategizing how best to amplify my view. I have, on occasion, been known to climb atop furniture/counters/shoulders when needed. I know how valuable a boost up can be. Whether literal or metaphorical, gaining a little … Read more
Addressing HIV Means Overcoming Barriers In The Way Of HopeDecember 27, 2017
This blog first appeared in the Huffington Post Canada . By Tammy C. Yates, Realize (formerly CWGHR) Traditionally, to mark World AIDS Day, I tend to remain singularly focused on the theme selected globally, or nationally, to raise awareness about the particular issue or topic that needs to be highlighted. Traditionally, I focus on the contribution that Realize is making in the response to HIV at home and abroad. These are not traditional times. On December 1 , as we marked World AIDS Day (WAD), many community-based HIV organizations at all levels that have served and empowered people living with HIV for decades have either closed down, are on the … Read more
The Right To HIV Prevention, Testing And TreatmentDecember 14, 2017
This blog first appeared on the Huffington Post Canada . By Angela Quinlan, Grandmothers Advocacy Network I am a member of the Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN), a non-partisan network of women spread across the country from coast to coast to coast, who are passionate about the human rights of women and children living with HIV/AIDS in sub- Saharan Africa, where the pandemic has had the most devastating effect. We believe every person has the right to know their HIV status; to have the tools available to prevent HIV infection; and if infected to access appropriate antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to enable them to live a long, productive and normal life. Africa … Read more
Society Shouldn’t Be A Roadblock To My Right To HealthDecember 12, 2017
This blog first appeared in the Huffington Post Canada . Co-authored by members of Plan International Canada’s Global Fund team: Magalie Nelson, Health Advisor and Kate Waller, Gender Advisor under the leadership of Bernabe Yameogo, Director of the Unit. The Global Fund Team at Plan International Canada works to accelerate the end of the malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis epidemics A 25-year old Beninese woman confides: ” They (men) do not know what they make us live. Some of us here have become HIV-infected women because of the weight of society, we cannot tell our husbands: condoms or nothing. They allow themselves to go to town to do what they want … Read more
Infant Feeding In The Context Of HIV: U ≠ UDecember 12, 2017
This blog first appeared in the Huffington Post Canada . By Nicci Stein, The Teresa Group U=U for sexual transmission (undetectable=untransmissable) is the most exciting game changer to come along since combination therapies were introduced over twenty years ago. The U=U movement is gaining traction worldwide and has the potential to deconstruct much of the stigma that has surrounded HIV from the beginning. U=U for sexual transmission was born out of robust scientific evidence but HIV transmission through breastfeeding differs in many ways, including a far higher risk associated with breastfeeding versus sexual exposures. The evidence at present does not justify inclusion into U=U and this nuance is lost in … Read more
Venezuela’s AIDS Program: Once A Model, Now CollapsedDecember 8, 2017
This blog first appeared in the Huffington Post Canada . By Emily Carson, ICASO There is a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. This is a crisis of many facets, but it is above all, humanitarian: people are dying of hunger. People are dying of preventable, treatable infections. Our friends living with HIV are dying of AIDS. The reality on the ground hits home for many here in Canada, but specifically Venezuela is home for ICASO’s Executive Director, Mary Ann Torres. The situation in Venezuela is unprecedented. It is a government-made, complex humanitarian emergency with severe and widespread social consequences. ICASO recently published a report entitled “Triple threat: Resurging epidemics, a broken … Read more
In The Fight Against HIV, Women Still Face Many BarriersDecember 5, 2017
This blog first appeared on the Huffington Post Canada . By Clara Banya In my work, I meet many women who have had difficult times in their lives. As the National Coordinator for the International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW) Malawi Chapter, I organize awareness campaigns, support organizations’ HIV work and provide a space for women to talk about their HIV status and reproductive health. I myself was diagnosed with HIV in 2004; but, 13 years later, I find the social stigma I felt then still affects many women in Malawi today. ©GLOBAL FUND ADVOCATES NETWORK Chimwemwe, a 31-year-old woman living in Kaliyeka, one of the poorest neighborhoods … Read more
With a new consensus that undetectable equals untransmittable, ending the AIDS epidemic in Canada is much more attainable than we previously thought. This blog first appeared in the Huffington Post Canada . By Laurie Edmiston, CATIE Having turned 60 two months ago, I know there’s nothing quite like a milestone birthday to force you to get serious about your priorities and your future. The HIV response is facing our own wake-up call this Dec. 1 as we mark the 30 th World AIDS Day — a milestone I never imagined we would reach when I started working in HIV 30 years ago. BURAKKARADEMIR VIA GETTY IMAGES I have spent more … Read more
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